Serenity The Sorrowful: Learning to Love
by Jaina-Rei
Summary: Have you ever wondered what Queen Serenity’s teen years were like? This is my version about what happened.
1. Prologue: A Tea Party

_Summery: Have you ever wondered what Queen Serenity's teen years were like? This is my version about what happened._

_Please note. This story is about Queen Serenity the mother of Princess Serenity/Usagi._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon although some characters featured within this fic are of my own creation._

_Please enjoy this story my hopes is that it is an original. This is my first attempt at a fic with chapters. I hope it will last 10 chapters but they will be of medium length._

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**Prologue: A Tea Party**

**Authors P.O.V**

I sit in a large comfortable couch in what I guess you could call my living room, except for the fact that I hardly use this room unless I have visitors. In my hand I hold a fragile fine china teacup from the Victorian era. Hardly used. Company cups I call them. Before me is my ornate coffee table with intricate designs inlaid in the wood. It was hand made for me by a master craftsman who had been a very dear friend of mine a long time ago. On the table sits all sorts of goodies. To the right there is a plate of orange choc-chip cookies with two or three missing. Next to the cookies is a platter with strawberry butterfly cakes looking very dainty also with two missing. In the middle of the table sits the large baked caramel cheesecake, next to that is a large marble mud cake with chocolate icing both with two very small pieces missing.

In front of me on the couch opposite sits an adolescent, a girl on the verge of womanhood. Her frame was what one would describe as petite, her skin soft and the colour of porcelain. . Her hair was tied up in two ornate cone-shaped buns on the top of her head and then the rest of it flowed down and reached her knees. She is a beauty but it is the kind of beauty that shines from the inside out. In her hands she holds a very large pink mug from which she is finishing her second helping of hot chocolate.

"The food is both pleasing to the eye and to the taste buds," I say warmly to the small lady. "You are becoming quite the chef."

"Only in sweet things it seams," she replies to me. "I fear I will be never as good as Aunty Makoto on any or her savoury dishes."

"Well I think in some respects you surpass her with the sweet things. You do not have to be good at everything Small Lady. I am glad that you chose to share it with me. I do not get company often you know. What are you going to do with the left overs?"

"Well you can keep the Butterfly Cakes and the cookies I made a huge batch of both of those so every one at home can have some."

"Aah, yes. I am sure Chibi Mamo will have his fair share of both. What of the twins?"

"Mama does not like to over indulge them but I am sure Seigi and Heiwa will have a cookie or two. I thought Chibi Mamo was bad at their age but having 2 two year olds in the house drives me insane sometimes, and when they get too much sugar they can become very hyper and hard to handle."

"What of the cakes?"

"Oh I'll have to save three pieces of both, one for Mama, one for Papa and one for Aunty Makoto. They always like to taste my cooking and evaluate it. Mama always says it is better than Aunty Makoto's but I think she is just being biased. The rest, well it is fend for yourselves or miss out."

"Yes, well with a household as large as yours I can understand why." I look at my watch and then continue speaking. "Looks like we have a lot of time on our hands before you have to go home. I have caught up with what has been going on in your life and I now have the gossip on all the others' lives, what would you like to do now?"

"Oh, I would love to hear a story, one I have never heard before. A long one preferably."

"Who would you like to hear about?" I ask as I pour myself some more black tea and add a generous amount of milk.

"How about Queen Serenity from the Silver Millennium, I don't here many stories about her" Small Lady offers me her mug and I pour her some more hot chocolate.

I get myself comfortable in my couch and start to think back. Then in a tone of voice that I use only for story telling I began to start my naration.

_Many view Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom as weak. They use the fact that she was unable to wield the power of the Imperium Crystal to save her kingdom and to live as evidence of this weakness. However the sacrifice that she made to make others happy proves her true strength. Not many know the true story of Selene Dianna Lunaris. Queen Serenity IV, Serenity the Sorrowful, she was commonly known as in her time. She was the last Queen of the Silver Millennium. I intended to tell her story her full story. Few tell of it and even fewer know the whole of it. Much of what has been told is merely rumours and myths. I have been there by the side of my Queen since the beginning. I have seen this story unfold right before my eyes._

_This story takes place in a time long forgotten. In a land not too distant from the blue planet, known as Earth. It was destroyed eons ago, by darkness itself. The moon is nothing but sand and craters now but back in the height of the Silver Millennium it was a kingdom flourishing with natural beauty and great financial wealth. It controlled much of the Solar System through its various alliances. Only the Earth its closest neighbour was not under its direct rule. Our story takes place when Serenity was still a child in many ways. She was on the verge of Womanhood, but without much of the responsibilities. _

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_**What did you think? Please Review and tell me. I except constructive criticism as I would love to improve my writing, but please, no flames. I hope to have the 1st chapter up soon but I must warn you I am a procrastinator. If you review I am pretty sure the chapters will come out faster.**_

_**Love Jaina-Rei**_


	2. Chapter 1 The Lesson

_All usual disclaimers apply. Some characters are of my own making please ask permission to use them if you like them that much._

**_Thanks for the reviews so far. I can't believe that I have received so many for my first multi chapter fic. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get this next chapter up. I originally intended for it to be longer but I have been procrastinating too much so now it is short and this story will take me more chapters than I first predicted before the end. I hope this next chapter lives up to people's expectations. I do hate to disappoint. Thank yous and comments will follow the end of this chapter._**

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**Chapter 1: The Lesson**

Queen Serenity III (Or Queen Serena as she was more commonly known) stood on the balcony of the western tower overlooking part of the gardens and beyond to the silver grassy plains. She was tall and slender, well endowed with womanly curves. Smooth creamy porcelain skin could be seen on her face and arms while the rest f her was covered by a form fitting gown around her chest, which then flowed out to the ground. Her hair was tied up in two ornate buns on the top of her head and then the rest of it flowed to the ground. It was the colour of silver not dull like platinum blonde but it shone like the precious metal. Her features were dainty and portrayed a fragility that did not exist. In fact she was the highest-ranking sorceress in the Galaxy and was also well trained in the art of self-defence. Thankfully she does not remember a time when she has ever had to use her powers both magic and physical.

Her light blue eyes the colour of the earthen sky, scanned the distance looking for her adolescent daughter. She looks up to the purple horizon towards the Silver Sea, a large lake to the west of the castle. Not spotting anything she then turns to her left looking towards the mountains to the south and slowly sweeps the plains. She spots some figures in the distance amongst the tall silver grass and judging by their shapes she tries to work out who is who. '_The two tall figures standing in_ _closer to the castle must be Senshi Venus and Senshi Mars,' _She mused. _'Serenity must have told them not to disturb her, that must be why they have switched of their communication devices. The two figures sitting down about ten paces away must then be Selene and she is putting flowers in someone's hair. She looks a little younger it must be the handmaiden Gracie.'_

The Queen took out a communication device from a hidden pocket in her dress. After pressing some buttons she began talking into it "Poseidon-koi, are you there." "Yes Koishii," came the reply. "Selene is in the Silver Plains south west of the castle about halfway between the Silver Sea and the Gardens." "Alright, I'm in the families garden at the moment I should be with Selene in about 5 minutes and I'll be with you in 10." "I'll be waiting in the Western Tower for you then." Serena pressed another button to switch off the communication device. She played with it absentmindedly while she continued to think, and then as if noticing it there she returned it to its place in her dress.

While she was standing there she continued her musings. '_There goes Poi now,' _She thought as the King came into her view. He was tall with light Aqua hair and light skin with a pale blue undertone. His eyes where the colour of the sea, and they changed colours to suit his moods, just like the ocean. He wore a crown; a small circlet of silver, the symbol on his status on his head. His attire consisted of a white military suit (Think modern day Princes like Fredrik of Denmark, Prince Charles etc.). with a dark aqua sash covered in military medals. Around his neck hung a thick silver chain attached to it was a medallion with the symbol of Neptune on the front and the symbol of the moon on the back. He had once been a prince of the great planet Neptune. Poseidon wore the symbols of his heritage with pride.

Preceding and following him where two of his guardians. There were four with him in total the other two having the day off as they took their duty in turns. Two days on, one day off. They too had Aqua hair in varying shades and wore dark grey military suits with a dark aqua sash all sporting medals that boasted their own valour. They had been Guardians of Poseidon since they could defend themselves and saw him as a brother. In fact they had all been friends since birth and stuck closer than a family.

Serena's heart had swelled with the sight of her Poi. She loved him more than she loved life itself. They had once been married strangers but over the years grew a bond that was so strong only death itself could sever it '_What would I do without you Poi?'_ She thought to herself as he passed the Senshi and neared Selene. The conversation was short and she could almost guess what Poseidon had said and what here daughters' reply was. Her thoughts turned back to her daughter as she stood there watching the proceedings. Many had commented on how they could be sisters. She looked like the miniature of her mother being a whole foot shorter. Her body was that of a 15 year old, not quite as curved as her mother, but those and her height would come in a matter of time. She had one difference in her looks though. Selene had her fathers deep blue eyes, however hers did not change colours. She also had her fathers' personality and got along much better with her father than she did with her mother. _It is to be expected_, thought Serena, _I am so tough on her, but she needs to start to grow up soon, I will not be around forever. _

Serena had watched as the party had walk toward the palace until she could see them no more. Then she walked back into the room and ordered her ladies in waiting and her guardians outside. She wanted to be alone with her daughter, when she had to talk to her. It would not do to have the Palace staff gossiping. She closed the glass doors that lead to the balcony and she stared out at the view before her. She heard a slight noise be hind her and knew that Selene had entered the room. Without turning around she began to address her daughter.

"Selene, I know I have told you numerous times why it is important for you to be punctual." She began "This is the second time this week that you have missed the start of classes. I let you off without a punishment last time against Sensei Wisdom's wishes because I understand how you feel. It is getting close to the end of classes for the year and you have a lot of examinations, recitations and written assessments. I also know that you are very anxious about your friends coming to set up your court at the end of the week. None of this however can be used as an excuse for your tardiness." Serena turned around to face her daughter. "You are Crown Princess Serenity, with your status comes responsibility. I had hoped that you had realised the position that you are in. So many people look up to you Selene. Your father and I have come to an agreement that your classes are far too important to miss. You will have to stay and finish your work this afternoon until you have caught up with all that you have missed out on. Mars, Venus and Gracie will get out of this punishment because I lay the blame completely on you. You may join the others in class. That is all for now" With that Serena dismissed her daughter.

Selene hurriedly exited the room and made her way to the classrooms. Thankfully they were in the western wing of the palace and she did not have too far to walk while she walked she berated herself in her own mind. Selene had made no move to argue her position; once her mother said something it was as good as done. She wouldn't be able to get any sympathy from her father either by the looks of things. How could her father forget that they were meant to be spending this afternoon together? They were going to train her winged horse Strawberry to do some new tricks. It was going to be her last chance to spend some quality time with her father before she was bogged down with responsibilities of setting up her new court.

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Selene sat at a desk in the middle of the room. Light from the western sun poured in through the large glass windows and streamed about her. The rest of the students had left a few hours ago. Poseidon stood outside the door stealing a look at his daughter. He had come at various times through out the afternoon to check up on her progress with out her knowledge. A large sigh came from the girl as she closed the book she was working in and then began to pack up her things. Poi made no move to show his presence to his daughter. Selene then pack away her things within her desk and then move to the front of the room and placed a few papers on Sensei's desk before turning and seeing her father in the doorway. He held his arms out too her. She did not need a second encouragement; she ran straight into his bear like embrace and allowed herself to be held for a while. After a few moments he loosened his grip and then began to walk out the door and down the hallway together. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and she had her arm wrapped around his waste. It felt so good to be loved. Selene knew that all had been forgiven and she felt her world had righted itself once again.

"Did you learn your lesson this time my little rabbit?" Poseidon asked using his pet name for her.

Serenity knew he was referring to her tardiness and felt that this time she had. "Well, father I can honestly say I think so, but it is so hard to be on time all the time."

"That's why we have servants and people paid to organise our lives dear," He replied. "But enough of that now. I have some good news I can tell you. I had my schedule rearranged and accomplished some tasks this afternoon that I was going to do one the morrow morn. So now I have the morning free. Do you still want that ride?"

Selene almost squealed with delight, instead she gave her father a squeeze as she replied. "Oh, yes I can hardly wait"

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_**Gate Mistress: **Aaah yes, we both use you know who. I am so glad that we can use the same Characters but come up with something completely different._

_**Aserene**: Im glad you like it. Sorry I made you wait so long_

_**sailorstars16**: All will be revealed at the end of the Story_

_**Jami-bunny**: Im glad you enjoyed it. Yes it is you-know-who. Sssssshhhh. It's a secret. Of course you can use the name._

_**Lady Kiren**: Thanks I like it when people like my work _

_**Oh more reviews would be nice. A friend of mine pointed out some of the things that needed changing in my work. If you notice any mistakes please tell me. Chapter 2 will be titled The Ride.**_

_**Until next time**_

_**Jaina-Rei**_


	3. Chapter 2 The Ride

**_All regular disclaimers apply_**

_Thanks to my regular supporters. I really am glad for you. After a friend looked at my first two chapters she found some problems with them so I updated them. I hope I didn't miss any mistakes. If you find any in this work feel free to tell me. If something in my grammar irks you, feel free to inform me. I will gladly try to improve. I honestly would like to improve my writing. Sorry it has taken me so long to update this. It is summer here in Australian and I have been doing University over the summer break. It has been really full on and intense. I hope to be able to update faster when I am back at regular Uni. If all goes well I'll be graduating in the middle of this year. Yeah!_

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**Chapter 2: The Ride**

The air was crisp and cool, the fierce wind that blew about felt like daggers driving through to your core. The sun shone in the purple sky but being situated at such a height it did not make much difference to the temperature. This part of the mountain was sheltered from the harshest of the winds due to the rocky outcrops on either sides of this rather large ledge. Far away to the north and below, a silver spec shone in the distance. The Silver Palace, so called for its appearance or Serenity Castle because of the monarchy that inhabited it. It always amazed Selene how small everything looked from so far up. She felt like she was on top of the world. A few light pink fluffy clouds hung in the sky and blocking some of her view of the scene that lay out before her. Sho could make out some of the landmarks like the Silver Sea to the left of the Castle. There was a landing bay to the right where the ship from Venus would be arriving in a few hours time. An extremely small village was situated further north of the Castle. For a while Selene just sat and drank in the scenery. Selene loved this cleft on the mountain, which she came to regularly with her father. This was their special place. It was quiet and away from all the hustle and bustle of palace life. It was here that she could get away from her servants

Despite being sheltered the wind still played with stray stands of hair and whipped them about her face. Her mass of silver blonde hair was held back in two large buns at the back of her head. This is how she always wore her hair when she went riding. It was mostly out of necessity that she did so. Selene turned from her view and walked a few paces back to the picnic blanket, which her father lay on. His head was cushioned by his saddle and his eyes where closed as he rested. He was attired in a ridding outfit befitting of a king but also quit practical for rugged riding. The remains or their large brunch had been packed away in the saddlebags after they had had enough to eat. Unlike her father Selene did not feel the need to rest after such a meal and had contented herself with looking at the scenery below them. The horses were becoming restless, and so was Selene. It was time to start getting ready to head back to the castle. Selene grabbed Strawberry's blanket and saddle and began putting them on her horse.

Poseidon, being trained in the army, was a light sleeper and as soon as he heard his daughter readying her horse he started to rise. He folded up the picnic blanket and stuffed it into his saddlebag and he too saddled up his horse. They finished saddling up together. Poseidon being the more experienced of the two, and so faster than his daughter.

The king was the first to break the silence, "Well are you ready to do what we practiced this morning on the way home?"

"I think so," came the not so confident reply.

Poseidon spoke to her as he mounted his silver colored stallion aptly named Silver. "Remember I'll be right by your side for the first few tries until you feel confident enough to do it on your own. The is no need to be worried I'll be watching you the whole time"

On her fathers cue Selene also mounted her strawberry blonde mare "Thanks father," Selene replied this time with a little more confidence in her voice.

Poseidon dug his heals into the flanks of Silver and Silver began to flap his wings. Selene followed suit with Strawberry. Soon they where airborne and they moved swiftly forward. When the mountain was a little distance away the group slowly descended till they were only a few hundred feet above the ground.

"Now I'll give the signal and we'll go together," Poseidon commanded gently, "Just remember we are very close to the ground so you will need to pull up very quickly."

"Yes Father," Selene replied with a nod.

"Ready?" He asked, and then there was a pregnant paused while he waited for the right moment. "Now!" he shouted with force.

Simultaneously the two horses made a sharp dive aiming for the earth, and then at the right moment they both pulled up. The horses barely missed the ground. They continued on still moving at a lightning pace just meters above the ground, it was breath taking. Selene let out the mirth that was contained within. Her laughter bubbled to the surface. She had a silvery laugh, it reminded one of tinkling bells. It was a laugh that was contagious. Poseidon let his laughter mixed with his daughters. His was deeper, like water bubbling to the surface. When his laugher died and Selene's was contained to a few giggles, Poseidon spoke.

"I take it you want to do that again?" He asked, the joy fully heard in his voice

"Oh yes please!" came the reply full of enthusiasm.

"Right then, this time we will start from higher up if that's fine with you"

They continue one with a few more dives each time getting higher and higher. The castle getting closer in the distance as they went. When the castle was just a few miles away the King proposed a race to the stables. Selene enthusiastically agreed. The circled up climbing until they where high in the air so they could race downwards on an incline. Every now and again Selene let out a giggle or two. "Ok Bunny I'll count us in," The King started "On your marks" Then he took of light lightning leaving Selene and Strawberry behind.

"Ok Girl," Selene spoke to her horse as she patted her neck, "Dads cheated on us again so we are going to have to go extra fast to win"

Strawberry whinnied and nodded her head in response. Selene dug in her heals and they where off faster than her father. I no time at all they had caught up to her father but she passed him above his head so he wouldn't see them passing. Then she got her bearings and aimed for the door of the stable. Looking back her father was just behind her now. She reined Strawberry in; they came to a halt just outside the stable door. She handed the reins to a waiting stable boy who had a grin for ear to ear. "You did well your highness I saw you over take his majesty," he gushed to her shyly. "Thank you, Dionysus," She replied to him as she patted Strawberry on the nose. Her Father pulled up at that moment, and in one swift movement he jumped of his horse and threw the reins at the stable boy. Dionysus caught the reins in his spare hand and bowed.

Poseidon was laughing quite hard by this stage. "Well you beat me that time, but not by much."

"Well there would have been a bigger gap if you hadn't cheated," she replied in jest as she poked him in the chest.

"Ah but I knew you where going to win that's why I gave myself a head start," He continued on in jest as he tickled her a little.

"Stop it," Selene manage to squeal out before running away "I've got to get ready for the arrival of the Venusian entourage," she said behind her back at Poseidon as she ran away into the castle.

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_Once again I'm so sorry that this has taken me so long to update. I'm doing an extra subject at Uni now and things have been really full on. Look out for the next Chapter 'The Disappointment'_

Until next time

Jaina-Rei


	4. Chapter 3 The Dissapointment

_Hello everybody, sorry again for the late response. This chapter is slightly longer than the last one. I was hoping to make the chapters longer as I got better so we'll see how it goes._

_N.B. I'll be using Princess Serenity and Selene interchangeably in this fic they are one in the same person sorry if there is any confusion

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**Chapter 3: The dissapointment**

Her Royal Highness Princess Serenity (Selene) stood in between her mother and father at the head of the party waiting for the ship to land from Venus. All around her stood officials and courtiers dressed in their best to welcome the party from Venus. Close by there stood the Venusians' ambassador to the moon, Kinyobi (1.) and his personal assistant Kinko (2.). Out of the corner of her eyes Selene saw Kinyobi fidgeting with his attire nervously and Kinko beside him slapping away his hands as she tried to smooth out the creases he was creating. The scene was quite comical to Selene and she found it difficult to contain her laughter so she decided to focus on someone else instead.

Queen Serena was dressed in a Silver gown and was a vision to behold. Small diamonds where sewn into the bodice of the dress in the pattern of roses. She seemed to sparkle from head to toe. The sun that was high in the sky was adding to the illusion, by reflecting of her almost metallic-like material. This gave the overall impression that the Queen gave off her own light.

Neptune was dressed in a more formal version of his military uniform. The blue in the aqua colour mixed well with the silver in Queen Serena's dress and so they made quite a pair with Selene between them as the icing on the cake.

The Princess Serenity was dressed in a nicer version of the white gowns that she normally wore. Selene couldn't stop fidgeting with anything she could lay her hands on. At the moment it was a pair of small delicate binoculars that she held in her hands. With the force she was using to bet rid of her nervous energy it was surprising that they didn't break. Selene was totally excited to be seeing her friend again after nearly a whole year apart. Her father gave her a squeeze on the shoulder to show that he understood and her mother gave her a sympathetic look before turning back to watch for the ship.

The landing dock was decked out in dark orange and gold decorations, the Venusians' royal colours. The look was quite tasteful as the decorations were not too plentiful, so as not to obstruct the craft when it landed. One of the Queens' personal assistants stood near by, with binoculars in hand. She was ready to pass them on to the Queen after the tower made the announcement of the Venusian ships arrival.

A telescope was set up near by and every so often Selene would peer through the lenes hoping to capture a glimpse of the crafts arrival. Serena sent a look of disappointment her daughter's way. It was only the 10th time in the last 2 minutes that Selene had looked through the telescope. Surely it was unnecessary fore her to continue doing so.

Selene saw her mothers look and realised she was pushing her luck a bit too far. She didn't need another lecture from her mother. Not today. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with her friend, Nikki. Nike Aphrodite Venusis was close in age to Selene. She was the second child and only daughter of Queen Aphrodite IX. Her birthday fell only a few months before Selene's and they had been firm friends since their first meeting when they where only a few months old. As they grew older they had to spend less and less time together due to the growing responsibilities that they both held. Both would become Queens in their own rights one day and leaving their own kingdoms would become almost impossible. Yes, they had to make the most of their infrequent visits.

Selene almost jumped when she finally heard a voice over the loudspeaker announcing the crafts arrival. In less than a minute the ship went from being a small dot on the eastern horizon to glide to a halt just above the landing dock. It then descended and after the sounds of the engines cutting off the gang plank then came down from the craft. There was a whooshing sound as the pressurisation of the inside the craft changed and the door opened.

Three pairs of Venusian Royal guards were the first to step out of the craft. They walked two together, shoulder-to-shoulder. All moved as one, showing the discipline that they had learned being part of the defence forces. They were decked out in their formal Uniforms. They where dressed in dark orange tunics with dark navy pants. A white sash cut through the orange on their chest displaying the medals that hung there. A thick robe covered the whole of them reaching to the ground. Its color dark navy blue on the outside and the underside was a dark orange. Their faces were covered with a hood, making their features hard to define. All had blonde hair of various shades and lengths. The all carried spears with golden flags attached to the top. When all had cleared the gangplank the pairs parted, turn so their backs faced each other and walked a few strides before turning once again to face each other.

Selene looked on, bored with all the pomp and ceremony. She was anxious to see her friend.

Next to leave the craft one by one were Venusian officials. The Royal Guard on the right announcing each one as they left the craft. Then there was a short pause before the next person excited. Unlike a small feminine frame like Selene anticipated the person who excited the craft was Tall, Masculine, had well proportioned muscles attached to his lean frame. This person was a mystery to Selene and she strained her ears to hear his name.

"Prince Phoebus Apollo Venusis," came the announcer's voice and Selene let out a small gasp of surprise. 'Since when did he become so well built,' she thought to herself. Her line of thought surprised her a little when did she start looking at men's physiques. 'I bet he is still as ugly as ever and wouldn't be a bit surprised if he is still such a tease,' she mused as she tried to get back on safe ground with her thoughts. 'Where on earth is Nikki,' she thought as she strained to look at the faces of the rest of the people who where leaving the craft but they where only servants and a few minor courtiers. Her mother sensed her distress and tried to calm her with some words of encouragement.

"Perhaps she was detained for a while and is yet to come," she whispered to her daughter

Selene just looked at her mother with pleading eyes and simply nodded her head in return before looking back to the craft. No one else was leaving it and the Venusian entourage was making his or her way to meet the Moon Royalty. Selene steeled herself for the task. The last thing on the Moon she wanted to do right know was to be among people. However, she had to stand there and great the people as they came in a line saying a few things to them as they passed before they would be taken by a waiting servant to their guestrooms to freshen up. Afterwards the Moon Royalty would be the hosts of a banquet held just for them. Selene was beginning to cave but decided it was best to just focus on the task at hand. Perhaps she would get some time to herself before the banquet. As she stood on that spot, shaking hands and curtsying to the people passing her, the only tangible thoughts going through her mind were 'I hope Nikki is OK' and 'I so want to run away from here so I can have a good cry'.

Phoebus stood at the end of the line of newcomers. He passed the time by staring at Selene. 'When had she become so womanly,' he mused. He could tell by the way that she held her head that she was fighting to retain her composer. He knew how close she was to his sister. 'The blow must have been hard on her but she was fighting to hold her head up high and smile at all the people she was meeting. Yes she was a lot more mature than when he had seen her last. He just hoped that the news he was bringing wouldn't cause her much more grief. Yes he loved to tease Selene but they where still friends and he hated to see her in pain. He decided that it was his duty to try and cheer her up. He knew just the way too. There was nothing like a good old fashion spar with words. A little tit-for-tat, to get one's mind off the present situation was just the thing. Yes, and he knew just which buttons to press to get Selene in a teasing mood.' Phoebus began to think of appropriate responses as he noticed he was next in line to great first the Queen and then Princess Serenity.

"Welcome Prince Phoebus," said the Queen "I trust your flight was enjoyable"

"Thank your Majesty," he replied, "It was quite comfortable I can assure you of that"

Phoebus noticed that Selene was struggling to listen to the courtier who was chatting away merrily to the Princess. He caught her looking at him and the Queen through the corner of her eye and he winked slowly to her. It was a gesture that Selene knew well. He was up to something and she knew it. She tried harder to listen in on Phoebus and her mother's conversation.

"I noticed your sisters absence," the Queen remarked to him "I trust she is well. Will she be joining us?'

"I am sorry to say that my sister has been detained and I do not feel that this is the time to divulge the situation at home. Perhaps someplace with more privacy?"

The entire royal family's suspicions were aroused, as all had been listening in to the conversation at this point. Both the King and Queen's mind went into planning mode while Selene wondered anew as to what could keep her best friend.

"Yes," the Queen replied, "perhaps a meeting can be arranged after the banquet in the drawing room? I'm guessing you would like the Ambassador to be present?"

"Quite right your majesty, Kinyobi must be informed as well, I trust you will inform all who will need to be present?"

"Yes it will be done right away," the Queen replied as she gestured to a nearby handmaiden to come to her side and then dismissed Phoebus with another gesture showing him to Selene.

"Who is this beautiful young maiden, may I ask?" He questioned Selene with teasing in his voice. "Surely not the famed Princess Serenity, my she was but a child when I last saw her and here you are a beautiful woman"

"Oh, do stop it Phoebus," she retaliated "I bet you say that to all the young princesses to make them swoon. Well this is one princess who will not fall at your feet"

"Aaaah, that is a pity then. You see, I was hoping that she would let me dance with her at the ball that is being held this weekend. We are good friends and I wanted the chance to catch up and talk"

"Good friends," Selene joked, "Yes we are such good friends you are like an annoying Big Brother to me!" (At this Phoebus visibly flinched like someone had struck him, then he quickly regain his composure. Selene continued her banter not sure of his problem.) "I'm sure I will find some time for him somewhere in my busy schedule."

"Perhaps the time you were going to spend with my sister, you could spend with me instead as I did come here to fill in her place," Phoebus said this with the purest intentions but was not ready for the reaction Selene would give him. He misjudged how much she was hurting over the fact of not seeing her friend.

"Perhaps… Look Prince Phoebus I really must go and freshen up before the banquet."

Selene then quickly looked around making sure her mother was involved in conversation with someone else and took off without saying another word. Phoebus mentally kicked himself. 'You've done it now' he mused 'How on Venus am I ever going to make it up to her?' He began walking towards the castle to his room. Being like family he had his own rooms at the palace no matter what. Yes he did need some time to think things over. As he walked he mind began to think things over.

Phoebus was hoping too, that after being gone away from the Moon for such a long time that Selene would have grown up enough to accept his undying love for her. However, the big brother comment made him realise that she was still too innocent to be ready for that. It was true, there was an age gap, and Phoebus was almost twice Serenity's age. That didn't matter though. Both Venusians and Lunarians aged at a much slower rate than most other races. (The gap was only equivalent to 4 years for modern day humans. Selene would have been about 15 and Phoebus 19) Phoebus' time in the Army made him realise just how short life was. Yes he intended to make the most of this visit to the Moon. He knew he had to take things slowly for Selene's sake but he full intended that before he left he was going to make his intentions known to her.

* * *

(1.)Kinyobi Literally means "Gold day" but is equivalent to our Friday 

(2.)Kinko literally means "Gold Child" the suffix 'ko' is only used for girls names

_**Aha, a new character on the scene. I have plenty more up my sleave too. What do you think of Phoebus? I will describe him more in the next chapter titled The Gift. He really is quite handsome. Selene only thought him ugly when she last saw him because he had been nasty to her and he was also going through that awkward stage that most people tend to go through in their teen years.**_

_**Until next time**_

_**Jaina-Rei**_


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